MAC Blog Post #4: Week 3 - Long Lines

Long Lines

" Like the person who forgets he is related to the waves in the sea or loses continuity with the movement of wind through grass, so does the performer lose his connection to the long line of the music when his attention rests solely on perfecting individual notes and harmonies. Like the person who, mindless that she has all of nature in her fingertips, blocks the expression of the life force, so does the musician interrupt the long line of passion when she limits her focus to the expression of personal emotion. local color, or harmonic events. Her narrow emphasis can produce a dull numbing performance."

-Benjamin Zander - The Art of Possibility

This statement is a very eloquent way of saying "you are trying too hard". I have found that the harder I focus on the elements of something, a lesson plan, a paper, a song, I lose the creative connection. I had a had time with my thesis for this reason. I was so focused on the details and structure of the paper that I felt that my words were stifled and did not flow well.  I often see this happen to my husband when he is trying to compose a song, write lyrics, or record his vocals. If he overfocuses he loses the energy in the song. We struggle when creating art to just be and enjoy the zone, safe in the knowledge that all will be well with the creation in the end.

MAC Blog Post #3: Week 3 - Downward Spiral Talk

Downward Spiral Talk


"Downward spiral talk is based on the fear that we will be stopped in our tracks and fall short in the race, and it is wholly reactive to circumstances, circumstances that appear to be wrong, problematic, and in need of fixing....The more attention you shine on a particular subject, the more evidence of it will grow."
-Benjamin Zander
The Art of Possibility

This is a powerful concept. This describes what happens in many teacher lounges across America. It is very easy to get sucked in by downward spiral talk.  Statements like: "It's about time they made some changes around here. It won't matter anyway though. Nothing will ever work out in our favor."; or "They will never make that improvement. It would be too much like right."; or worse "They will never learn. Don't even bother teaching them higher order thinking skills. Stick to direct instruction and remedial practice, they will never be more than remedial. As soon as you turn in the lesson plan with the proposal to use that game the prinicpal will shut you down. No one should ever try that again."  On and on and on the negative talk goes, extolling on the negative aspects of teaching, from policies to student achievement, nothing is going to ever work out right.  There are so many problems in education today that it is often hard not to get sucked down into the doldrums of the defeatist attitude that nothing will ever improve but only get worse. I have to deliberately force myself out of this thinking sometimes. The day that I am unable to avoid the spiral is the day that I will lose all love for teaching.

MAC Blog Post #2: Week 3 - Project -Thesis

Abstract

Everyday thousands of students attending public schools in the United States of America are at risk for academic failure. This risk derives from a mismatch between traditional educational methods that are often used in the classroom, and the methods that cognitive science has recently come to understand can provide the path to true learning for all. America's public schools are operating on an outdated platform based on questionable and often harmful academic practices. This paper proposes the use of technology to educate learners in K-12 schools that are "at-risk" of academic failure or not acquiring the skills they will need to live a productive adult life.

MAC Blog Post #1: Week 3 – Re: Cindi Jobe's "Do's and Don'ts for Sport Parents

Cindi Jobe's Post:

Do's and Don'ts for Sport Parents

(this is just a portion from this article that fits in well with "The Art of Possibility" that we have been studying by Benjamin Zander)

Do for your Children:

• Provide guidance for your children, but do not force or pressure them.

• Assist them in setting realistic goals for 
participation.

• Emphasize fun, skill development and other benefits of sports participation, e.g., cooperation,

competition, self-discipline, commitment.

• Show interest in their participation: help them get to practice, attend competitions, ask questions.

• Provide a healthy perspective to help children understand success and failure.

• Emphasize and reward effort rather than results.

• Intervene if your child's behavior is unacceptable during practice or competitions.

• Understand that your child may need a break from sports occasionally.

• Give your child some space when need. Part of sports participation involves them figuring things out

for themselves.

• Keep a sense of humor. If you are having fun and laughing, so will your child

• Provide regular encouragement.

• Be a healthy role model for your child by being positive and relaxed at competitions and by having

balance in your life.

• GIVE THEM UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: SHOW THEM YOU LOVE THEM WHETHER THEY

• WIN OR LOSE!!!

About the Author:

Michael A. Taylor an Instructor for the Stanford

University based Positive Coaching Alliance, a long-time member of the United States Elite Coaches Association

and a former gym owner.

Taylor, M. (2010) Do's and don'ts for sports parents. United States Ski and Snowboard Association
Retrieved March 19, 2010 from http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/ussa/en/formembers/parents/about.html

Thanks for this wonderful post! I have found that it helps me keep things in perspective with both my own kids and my students. I especially like the part that says "Provide a healthy perspective to help children understand success and failure. "  I have found that most people's misery comes from having unrealistic expectations themselves and others. Teaching children to have  a healthy perspective can aid them in finding true happiness in adulthood.

MAC Blog Post #4: Week 2 – Re: Bianca’s Proposal

“Training is key to the development of skills, but how best should these skills be trained? This paper shows that the problem of insufficient practice, particularly of skills that must be performed under stress, can be addressed using computer software and a distinct development method. Research indicates that significant rehearsal is needed for skill mastery, that stress degrades the ability to perform tasks, and that increased task practice can lead to improved task competency. This paper suggests that the solution to skill rehearsal requirements for high-stress jobs, taking into account research regarding the effects of stress, is the use of simulation software to provide a means for individuals to explore deliberate practice with the goal of skill mastery.”

 -Bianca

Your proposal sounds interesting and promising. I would definitely like to see your final project. The idea of using a simulation game to train corporate employees is exciting. It is very important for employees to be well trained, especially when performing under stress. Using a simulation game may make training more effective and interesting, increasing employee productivity. It sounds like your proposed project could be a cost effective and engaging new form of training. Good luck on your thesis and project!

MAC Blog Post #3: Week 2 – What Will My Contribution Be Today?

“Unlike ‘success’ and ‘failure’, ‘contribution’ has no other side”.

-      The Art of Possibility,

This is a wonderfully liberating statement! I live by the idea of not leaving anyone worse off for having known me, and hopefully better off after having met me. A kind of modified version of the Hippocratic Oath. I learned long ago that to be happy required living by my own standards. I have also chosen to measure success by my contribution. This is critical to my sanity and ability to do my job. I am often criticized by my co-workers for being highly educated and choosing to work with students with special needs and behavior disorders. “Why are you wasting your time here? These students don’t appreciate you. You need to be teaching gifted or advanced students somewhere else.” These are the types of comments I get daily. I realize my co-workers are just curious about why I am not “successful” or pursuing success. They do not understand that I am successful and working on exactly what I want to work on. They do not seem to understand my belief that at risk and special education students need a good and dedicated teacher even more than the gifted and talented students. Those students will often succeed no matter what. However, exposure to a good teacher for at risk and unmotivated special education students could literally save their lives. I cannot bear the idea of not being in love with ideas and learning about new possibilities. Unmotivated students live in this unfathomable state daily. I find success in seeing the wonder in a student’s eyes at experiencing a new way of looking at the world. I live to overhear students quoting me. These are the measures of my success. Although my students may not discuss intellectual topics with me or pass all the correct standardized tests, I enjoy my time with them, and know that I am making a contribution.  I do not measure myself against a norm, only against my values. Choosing to view my contributions rather than successes and failures allows me to love the storms encountered in my life, and the lessons they teach.

MAC Blog Post 2: Week 2 - Comment on Peer’s Blog

Monique said...

"I'll never forget the day that she told our class that she was glad the curriculum had been changed so we were now reading Macbeth instead of Hamlet because she thought Hamlet was just a whiner and if he had just stopped whining and killed his uncle right away everyone would have been infinitely better off... and no, I'm not paraphrasing loosely... that was pretty much how she said it. Here was an English teacher actually criticizing a play by Shakespeare... this was simply novel to my 12th grade self. In her jesting she created an environment where we students were actually allowed to criticize what we were reading as long as we could back up our opinion, and that was infinitely more valuable to me in university than being told I should be "less creative."



Your teacher sounds wonderful! I valued my teachers that allowed criticism of the content with proper evidence for our opinions. The ability to criticize is at the heart of critical thinking. I am always amazed that students are supposed to be critical thinkers, but that this requirement and expectation stops short of criticism. The ability to critique the ideas of others is critical to engaging in meaningful discussion on a topic. The concept that content experts and creators are infallible gods stifles creativity in students and prevents many from adding their own quality thoughts and opinions to the discourse. This concept is also at the heart of the insecurity of many students that leads them to stay out of a great many conversations.

March 14, 2010 11:07 PM